Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town — This 53-minute, 1970 animated film may be the most delightful of those sundry, stop-motion animated Christmas perennials that show up on television during the holidays. The clay animation pro... more &raquoduction, boasting a wonderful musical score and art direction that occasionally underscores the flower-power era in which it was born, tells the story of Santa's origins, in which Kris Kringle decides to get toys into the hands of poor children in gloomy Sombertown. Charmingly narrated by Fred Astaire and featuring voices by Mickey Rooney and Keenan Wynn, Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town presents a nice bridge between two generations of entertainment, the classic and the hip. --Tom Keogh

The Little Drummer Boy

The model animation techniques in this 1968 Rankin and Bass TV chestnut are primitive by today's standards, and picky kids may reject them out of hand. The story, however, which elaborates on the popular Christmas song about a shepherd boy who plays his drum for the baby Jesus and makes the animals dance, is a little more tough-minded than you might expect. The kid begins the story as what we'd now call a neglected child, a surly urchin who says he hates all people. He's pulled back from the brink, first by learning to make music, and then by his encounter with the Christ child. The underlying message alone--that everybody has something worth contributing--qualifies the show for holiday-perennial status. The big-name voice performers, Jose Ferrer and Greer Garson (who narrates), may be a little too ponderous for the occasion, but the familiar cartoony tones of Paul Frees (aka Boris Badenov) and June Forey (aka Rocket J. Squirrel) help liven up the proceedings. It's only 23 minutes long, so it's worth a shot for younger children. --David Chute&laquo less

Movie Reviews

Yipee!! Two favorite Rankin/Bass Christmas specials on DVD

Zack Davisson | Seattle, WA, USA | 08/31/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I am so pleased to see these two Christmas specials packaged on one disk. What a great holiday treat. "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town" is an animagic classic. Fred Astaire pulls up the holiday express to narrate the story of young Kris Kringle (Mickey Rooney)and the children of Sombertown, and the story of how Kris became known as Santa Claus. Kris meets the evil Winter Warlock and melts his icy heart. The Burgermeister Meisterburger will not be so easy. This is a true holiday treat, and covers all of the familiar ground. Why do reindeer fly? Why does Santa climb down chimneys and leave toys in stockings? Why does he wear a beard and red clothing? How does he know if you've are sleeping, know if your awake? And what is Mrs.. Claus name, anyways? Find out in this DVD."The Little Drummer Boy" is based on one of my favorite holiday tunes. Aaron, the little drummer boy, is filled with hatred for all people. His parents have been murdered and his home burned to the ground. However, his gift for drumming enchants the animals and they dance about when he plays. Based on this talent, he falls in with a bad crowd when he meets Ben Haramed, the King of the Desert Showmen. How do things turn out for Aaron? Listen to the song, and watch the DVD. Bah-rump-bum-bum-bummmm."

Quite the classic

silver | Dallas, Texas United States | 11/18/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The old, separate, VHS versions of these two holiday movies were what I watched when I was in the single digits, and now they're better than ever on a timeless DVD. Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town is a humorous new twist on the entire life of one Santa Claus, and is worth the viewing for kids and adults alike.Me, though, I bought the DVD for the Little Drummer Boy, which is what I think is one of the best Christmas movies, EVER. Hands down.So, come on down, and spend a little money on a couple mini-movies that have already survived for decades and are sure to last for many more to come."

Wonderful DVD transfer + "Little Drummer Boy"

Jim Jr | Buffalo, NY United States | 09/18/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In a previous review of the tape version of this wonderful Christmas show, I told all the reasons this is my favorite holiday show. Now it has been released on DVD in a wonderful remastered version. I won't repeat all the great things about the story and delightful songs, but will comment on the wonderful DVD transfer. The picture is excellent, crystal clear with deep rich colors. The sound is excellent. A viewer can now appreciate the details of the puppets and sets more than on the tape version.A bonus for the DVD over the tape is that "Little Drummer Boy" is included on the disk. While it is stated on the case that this is a remastered version, the color and picture are not as sharp as in the remastered "Santa". However it is much better than the tape version. The two commercial tapes I have of this production do not have really sharp pictures and the color is a bit washed out. On the DVD, the color is better than the tape, but not as good as might be wanted. Since both the tape and the DVD pictures are not the best quality, I suspect that there is no longer a really top notch master available from which to make the tapes and DVDs. Even with the less than perfect pictrure, it is still a great show. Even if you have these two stories on tape, the DVD is the version to have. Getting the two productions on a single disk is a definite plus."

I Love These Rankin and Bass Christmas Specials!

silver | 10/16/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I watched these Rankin and Bass Christmas productions on TV when I was a child and I loved them, I especially like The Little Drummer Boy which is narrated by Greer Garson and is a beautiful heart-stirring story about the true meaning of Christmas! Santa Claus is Coming to Town is good too about how this boy grew up to became Santa Claus and I highly recommend this DVD set!"